Montefiore Einstein Receives $10 Million Grant to Study Breast Cancer Relapse

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded a $10 million, five-year research grant to a multidisciplinary team led by Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC). The project aims to uncover the biological mechanisms that allow breast cancer cells to survive initial treatments, lie dormant in the body, and eventually cause disease recurrence years or decades later.

Because nearly all fatal breast cancer cases result from metastasized disease, understanding these "early disseminated" cancer cells is a critical research gap. The study will utilize clinical data and tissue samples from patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to determine if specific cellular characteristics can predict which patients are at high risk for future relapse.

Led by Dr. Julio A. Aguirre-Ghiso, the project incorporates expertise in genetics, pathology, and bioinformatics, including collaborations with researchers from Stanford and Columbia University. The researchers intend to integrate laboratory findings with advanced imaging to better understand how immune cells interact with dormant cancer cells, with the ultimate goal of developing interventions to intercept the cancer before it reactivates.